Prince Albert - Northcote MLA Alana Ross (far left) along with the CEO of the YWCA and representatives from the Youth Transitional Housing Service at an announcement in P.A. on May 15, 2023. (Derek Craddock/paNOW Staff)

By Derek Craddock

YOUTH HOUSING

Province announces huge boost in funding for Youth Transitional Housing Service in P.A.

May 15, 2023 | 12:00 PM

More at-risk youth in Prince Albert will have a safe place to go thanks to an increase in government funding to the YWCA and the Youth Transitional Housing Service.

The service is a resource for 16- to 18-year-old youth to access support 24/7.

Prince Albert – Northcote MLA Alana Ross, along with CEO Donna Brooks of the YWCA and members of P.A. Outreach and the Youth Transitional Housing Service were on hand for the funding announcement on Tuesday.

The province will allocate more than $910,000 this fiscal year to expand the service in Prince Albert. The increase of $625,000 enables the YWCA to grow spaces from eight to 10, provide 24/7 staffing and open their services to youth with complex needs, including mental health and addictions.

“This is a very exciting partnership for us, it’s to a very good cause,” Ross said. “Our YWCA does tremendous work in our province and the youth group’s participation is just crucial.”

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“We are super excited because we have struggled for years,” Brooks said. “We have seen the need in the youth but we’ve never had the staffing level or funding level to be able to really address the needs, it was more just providing a bed. Now, with this level of staffing, we can actually look at addressing the needs of complex youth.”

Collen Baliski who works with some of the youth from the program said it was the youth themselves that advocated for this increase and new spaces.

“It is so huge. For the youth to have this happen today is great strides and it will be great for our youth to know that there is a place for them to go if there is need,” she said, adding that youth that come to their doors are in crisis and don’t have a home to go to full-time.

“Some of the shelters, they were too young for so they brought forward that they needed an emergency shelter for them to go until they could find alternate housing.”

Baliski couldn’t say how many more youths exactly will be helped by the increase in funding. She noted that the wintertime is when they see the highest transition period of youth looking for housing.

The Youth Transitional Housing Service provides young people with a safe, stable home environment where they are safe from gangs, sexual exploitation, drug use and at-risk lifestyles. Youth can access the service 24/7 for up to 30 days and receive support to transition to longer-term housing.

There are currently three Youth Transitional Housing Services in Saskatchewan – in Prince Albert, Saskatoon and Regina – providing a total of 35 spaces.

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derek.craddock@pattisonmedia.com

Twitter: @princealbertnow